UH Singers Taking Voices to Smaller Stage for 'What's Opera, Duck?'

The
singers at the University of Houston Moores Opera Center are accustomed to
projecting their voices in large performance halls. Each fall, however, they
bring their voices to a much smaller stage for an intimate evening of opera
arias.

The
Moores Opera Center’s annual fundraiser “What’s Opera, Duck?” transplants the
university’s rich collection of voices into the popular nightclub The Mucky
Duck (2425 Norfolk St.). The event returns to the Duck at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 24.
Tickets are $20 if purchased in advance and $22 at the door.

“What’s
Opera, Duck?” began as a fun fundraiser in 2010. Since then, it’s grown into an
anticipated opera event in Houston.

Singers
from the University’s award-winning opera program will deliver arias and
musical theater works. Both enthusiasts and casual patrons of opera will be
entertained, said Buck Ross, director of the Moores Opera Center.

“This
is an excellent opportunity to experience these singers in an up close and
personal environment,” Ross said. “No costumes. No orchestra. No sets. Just
big, beautiful voices accompanied by a pianist. It’s a perfect introduction to
the talents we’re grooming at the Moores Opera Center.”

The center has delivered several city and
regional premieres including Daron Hagen’s “Amelia,” Daniel Catán’s “Il
Postino,” Robert Aldridge's “Elmer Gantry,” Ricky Ian Gordon’s “The Grapes of
Wrath,” Sergei Prokofiev's “The Love for Three Oranges,” Carl Maria von Weber's
“Der Freischütz,” Samuel Barber's “Vanessa,” Jules Massenet's “Chérubin,”
Gioachino Rossini's “Il viaggio a Reims,” and Kurt Weill's “The Rise and Fall
of the City of Mahagonny.” In 2012, the center earned awards from the National
Opera Association (NOA) for productions of “Amelia” and “Der Rosenkavalier.” In
2011, it also received NOA honors for “Il Postino.” Professional recordings
include the center's productions of Dominick Argento’s “Casanova's Homecoming”
and a DVD release of Robert Nelson’s “A Room With a View.” For more details on
the Moores Opera Center, visit http://www.music.uh.edu/opera/.